Michael Williams

Michael Williams is a corporate attorney with deep expertise in startups, venture capital finance, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.  Mike has advised hundreds of technology and high-growth companies ranging from seed stage startups to public companies, with an emphasis on sell-side M&A and other complex transactions. 

Mike has extensive experience structuring, negotiating, and managing the sale of startups and growth companies.  He has led the sale of prominent startups to FAANG and private equity buyers, representing tens of billions in total deal value.  He regularly advises companies and investors on corporate and securities matters, including mergers and acquisitions, equity and non-equity financings, restructurings, startup structuring, capitalization, equity compensation, stockholder matters, and general corporate matters.

Mike spent many years at Gunderson Dettmer and other Silicon Valley based firms, where he represented clients on corporate governance, M&A, financings, and other transactions.  His clients include prominent venture capital firms and companies in the artificial intelligence, software, hardware consumer tech, fin tech, medical, and other tech sectors. Most recently before joining VLP, Mike led the corporate legal function at a public SaaS company where he led the acquisition of several companies and managed all SEC reporting. 

Mike received his law degree from UCLA, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif.  When not practicing law or perfecting his home cooking, he is often searching out the best swimming holes in the lakes and rivers of the western Sierras and coastal California.